


Not the Most Dangerous Monsters Out There

by Scarlet_Gryphon



Category: Zombies Run!
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-01
Updated: 2013-05-01
Packaged: 2017-12-10 02:14:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/780602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scarlet_Gryphon/pseuds/Scarlet_Gryphon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Of all the things people expected to herald the end of the world, zombies weren't very high on the list. For centuries, it was thought that it would be the Fae, werewolves, or one of the many other magical races, so the world was understandably taken by surprise when it turned out to be the non-vampiric undead that brought down global civilization as it was currently known.</p><p>OR:</p><p>Urban Fantasy AU for <i>Zombies, Run!</i>. Because magic and zombies mix surprisingly well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not the Most Dangerous Monsters Out There

**Author's Note:**

> As ~~threatened~~ promised, here’s the beginning of my urban fantasy AU for Zombies, Run! It’s shamelessly self-indulgent, but then again, I’m a sucker for AUs, particularly urban fantasy ones. This is just the start, so… yeah. Large bits of dialogue are either paraphrased or quoted directly from the in-mission audio, so no copyright infringement is meant. Now that that’s over, enjoy the first installment of this ‘verse.

She _hated_ flying. Admittedly, it was one of the quickest ways to get to Abel from Mullins Base (teleportation had always been risky and expensive, even before the apocalypse), but it didn't mean that Finn had to like it. Most 'wolves didn't, preferring to keep all four paws firmly on the ground. Hell, she could probably have run there without any problems, and would've done so quite happily if she'd been allowed to. Finn sighed, drawing the attention of the pilot of the helicopter, who tried for some small talk. 

She seemed nice enough, and Finn was about to respond to some of the less probing questions when all hell broke loose. Again. One minute they were flying along, talking to the lovely sounding radio operator at Abel, the next, death spiraling towards the ground. Finn barely had time to brace for impact when they hit, crashing into a thick stand of trees. Even with the heightened hardiness that was inherent to werewolves, she was knocked about and dazed after the helicopter came to ground. She groaned, the panicked voice of the Abel operator fading in and out. 

It took a few minutes before Finn got her bearings back. She found herself hanging sideways out of her chair, held in only by the grace of her safety harness. After fumbling with the harness, Finn managed to get free and carefully drop to the ground. The pilot was dead, that was for certain; there weren't any heartbeats besides Finn's to be heard. 

“Hey. Hey! This is Abel Township calling, over.” Finn startled, and then focused on the voice coming from her relatively unbroken headset. “They're not answering.” A sigh; whoever the operator was talking to didn't respond within range of the mike. “Their comms equipment could've been fried up.”

“No, wait, it's not--” Finn began, but realized that the microphone on her headset had broken. Damn, damn, damn. No way to contact Abel to let them know she was alive. With that thought in mind, Finn began making her way out of the trees, heading in the general direction of Abel.

“Listen, if you're alive, if there's anyone alive, this is Sam Yao from Abel Township. I'm just a... Oh, I'm just a radio operator. I'm not-- I'm not supposed to handle this stuff.” A burst of brief static and then: “You've come down in a nest of hostiles. They've heard the noise. They're coming. There're... thirty... ah, no, forty... Oh, crap. Uh, your only safe path is towards the tower. You should be able to see that from where you are. If there's anyone alive there, just... run. _Run_!”

Running. Right. She could totally do that. With the faint sounds of the shambling undead off in the distance, Finn took a deep breath and then changed to wolf form, glad that anything she wore or carried changed with her, able to be retrieved when she turned human again. Four feet were faster than two, and the enhanced scent, hearing, and sight available to wolves were even better. Zombies couldn't seem to discern between mundane wolves and werewolves, so traveling in wolf form was one of the safest bets, though there were the occasional zombies that chased after anything that moved.

She burst out of the trees, settling into a steady but ground eating lope. Finn was so focused on reaching Abel that she didn't realize her headset had shifted with her, changing so it fit perfectly on her left ear. Huh. It must've been bespelled. Awesome. The day was starting to look up, as much as was possible after a helicopter crash and having zombies on her tail-- literally.

“Wow! There's... there's someone alive down there. Running. Hey, can you hear me? Just take a left and head towards that old sawmill,” Sam said excitedly. Finn did as directed, tongue lolling out of the side of her mouth slightly. “You can hear me! That's brilliant. Look, just keep heading that way and--”

He broke off, momentarily muffling the mike as he argued with whoever was in the same room with him. “We can't ask them that! They might be injured.”

“It may be the only chance we've got, Sam.”

“But-”

“Listen, unidentified 'wolf, this is Doctor Maxine Meyers, head of medical here at Abel and acting co-Alpha of the Abel Pack. Your route will take you almost past the old hospital. We know there're medical kits still there from the first wave of infection. If you could pick up one or two, that would help us.”

Sam protested this, of course, but Maxine pressed the issue, saying that those medical kits might be Finn's only chance of finding shelter. She doubted that, to be honest, given how valuable 'wolves were to communities like Abel, but she figured it wouldn't hurt to bring some back with her. After all, good healers were rare these days, so medicine was worth its weight in gold. Finn stayed on course, heading through the first floor of the hospital, changing back to human form when she felt it was safe. The low moans and groans of far off zombies stayed on the edge of her hearing, as it always did, and she knew she wouldn't have long before they came slouching her way.

Finn kept her eyes peeled for any med-kits, spotting a few in abandoned corners and cabinets here and there. One quick scavenge of a worn out bag later and Finn had a serviceable pack to use to carry the supplies she came across. She managed to find four med-kits before she found the CDC box; the magical runes on it marked it as important, as did the clear writing. Finn trusted the runes more than the words, to be honest, but one couldn't be picky these days. Into her pack it went, particularly after hearing Doctor Meyers' explanation that it was very important.

One quick last run through of the hospital, dodging zoms left and right, and then Finn was out of the building, changing back to wolf and pelting as fast as she could towards Abel. Maxine and Sam's voices were in her ear all the time, leading her to safety. Her ears were pinned back flat against her head as she drew near the fortified walls of Abel, and her sides were heaving. Suddenly, gunshots startled Finn, making her yelp, but the soothing voice of another 'wolf- Runner Seven, apparently – reassured her that everything was being taken care of. It hurt to hear the pain in Sam's voice as the former Runner Five was taken out by a sniper. He must've cared for her quite a bit.

Finn changed back to human once she was safe and sound inside the gates, and was immediately surrounded by a chattering crowd. She shrank back, unsure what to do with all of this attention, not to mention the feel of unfamiliar magic and Pack all around her, but the familiar voice of Sam cut through the babble, saving her. 

“All right, back away! Give Runner Five some air!” 

Sam was roughly Finn's age, or so it seemed, with ruffled dark hair and an infectious grin to match his happy tone. The second he drew near, she could tell he was 'wolf, and a Beta at that. Instinctively, Finn bowed her head in deference, but Sam waved her off.

“No need for that, Five,” he said. “I'm just a radio operator. We're not the most traditional Pack here. Just 'cause I'm technically a Beta doesn't mean I'll be bossing you around.” He grinned. “Well, not _too_ much, anyways, outside of runs.”

“It's Finn. Well, technically Finlay Harper, but I prefer Finn.” She returned his smile with a shy one of her own

“Good to meet you, Finn,” Sam told her. “Come on; let's get you checked out by the Doc. I know 'wolves can't turn, but it never hurts. Besides, she'll be wanting those med-kits and that box you picked up.”

Finn nodded. “Right. Show me the way. You've done a great job so far; let's see if that track record holds up.”

Sam laughed and then led the way towards the hospital tent. 

“Yeah, let's hope.”


End file.
